The unity of style as it manifests itself in cultural products is an expression of social power. The greatest artists thus have a mistrust of style, as the hierarchies of power have constructed it; their greatness thus lies in their inherent flaws, which are truer to life. By suggesting that the forms of real life are fulfilled via their aesthetic derivatives, art and culture thus position themselves on the same platform as ideology. Those who fall victim to the ideology of the culture industry are inevitably the poor and working-class; and as the ideology of the culture industry is contingent on the capitalist myth of success and failure, it is those same individuals who are enslaved by such an ideology who subscribe to and insist upon its supremacy above and beyond those who have actually benefited from the exploitative system. Culture is thus equated with advertising; under a system of advanced capitalism, one cannot disentangle one from the other, as they are both representations of social power, contingent upon one another for survival and sustenance by the masses.
Marxist critique is keen on emphasizing the history of class struggle in analyzing social relations. As such, Marx focuses much of his writing on the urban milieu, which he views as being the primary setting for the marginalization of the poor and working-class from bourgeois society, which does not exist outside of the urban milieu. Marx would hardly be surprised by Fischer's discoveries that lower income rural individuals tended to have a much higher quality of life than lower income individuals dwelling in large cities.
The sociologist with whom Fischer has most in common is undoubtedly Georg Simmel. Simmel did significant research into urbanism throughout much of his career, though his conclusions on city life are hardly more complementary than those of the Chicago School. Like Fischer, Simmel is at first able to view both positive and negative aspects of city and rural life. In the former, Simmel's theory is that regular patterns of association develop among the same people, forming a strong social network. As a result of such patterning, however, the habits and...
Ethnography In seven weeks, I conducted seven separate field observations in two different gym settings. Amid the clanks of weights, metal on metal, and the grunts and groans of young men, I conducted detailed observations and compiled a series of field notes. My research focus was on differences between age, gender, and socio-economic class with regards to attitudes towards working out, gym culture, and the use of supplements including steroids. One
There is plenty of time to re-resent petty humiliations or wince over one's own stupidity or insensitivity. Writing ethnography is a purgatory of pensees d'escalier (Metcalf)." Part of Ethnology As a whole, we are all part of ethnology. Everyone is a part of some type of culture, and this culture is open to interpretation by any ethnographer. Our cultures are what shapes who we are, and how we react to a given
Ethnography Le Petit Cafe in Brighton Beach is a Russian-owned pastry shop managed by my father Oleg Reyngach. With a clientele that consists almost entirely of Russian immigrants living in the local community, Le Petit Cafe offers a wonderful opportunity for an ethnographic study. What the patrons lack in terms of ethnic and linguistic diversity, they make up for in terms of socio-economic class and gender diversity. Blue collar and working
"Qualitative studies, particularly ethnographic research, can explain in great detail the nuances of African-American family life and the parental activities and behaviors that may account for youth outcomes" (Burton, Allison, & Obeidallah, 1996; Jarrett, 1995). The results of the study indicated that the presence of uncles in the lives of African-American male youth identified as at risk, fostered successful transitions into young adulthood, positive adolescent development, and the informal social
Ethnography The Young Republicans group meets every Thursday on campus, and they allow non-members to attend meetings. Therefore, for the purposes of this study I chose to analyze the group dynamics and patterns of this specific club. Although the club lists forty official members, the political club meetings usually contain fewer than twenty people. About seventy percent of the student members are Caucasian; the remainder are East Asian and African-American. Usually
Having experienced firsthand the reprieve his profession offers, the barometer of his success is simple, if there was no pain and no lingering side effects, then there was success. Surgical Technologist I was also able to interview the surgical technologist. She occupied many of the duties I had always believed were held by the head nurse. In fact the role of the surgical technologist entails not only having a detailed knowledge
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